2025-2026 Adrian College Academic Catalog

Political Science

Mission Statement

The mission of the Political Science Department is to prepare students with broadly applicable skills in research and analysis.

Departmental graduates should:

  • Be able to ask interesting and important questions-questions whose answers will provide new insight into incompletely understood issues;
  • Be able to gather the information that will allow them to answer such questions-ideally the graduate will be the person who knows how to find or collect needed information or data when others do not;
  • Be able to analyze that information, including synthesizing old and new knowledge and knowledge from multiple disciplines-ideally the graduate will easily transcend disciplinary boundaries;
  • Be able to clearly and persuasively explain the analysis in both written and verbal formats;
  • Cultivate their capacity for making socially and politically responsible decisions; and

Develop a greater appreciation for the needs of both local and global communities and the perspectives of people from diverse backgrounds. Political Science is the subject matter used to develop these skills, but their applicability should not be limited to solely, or even primarily, to the discipline.

Major Program Requirements

Sophomore standing and a 100- or 200-level course are prerequisites for 300-level courses. Junior standing is required to take 400-level courses.

All students majoring in Political Science must complete a department approved experiential component. This is fulfilled through either an internship, external academic experience or through a college-approved study abroad experience.

Majors are encouraged, to consider the following courses related to political science:

ESS104 Regional Geography (3)

ECON201 Principles of Microeconomics (3)

ECON202 Principles of Macroeconomics (3)

And one or more introductory level courses in American History (HIST105, HIST106), Asian History (HIST130, HIST131, HIST132, HIST133), Western History (HIST123, HIST124) or Islamic History (HIST111).